Wire-forming machine.



C. F. BAXTER.

WIRE FORMING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 9, 1915.

l 173,477 Patented Feb. 29, 1916;

CHARLES F. BAXTER, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, OF TWO-THIRDS 10 W. H. 'STARKEYv AND ONE-THIRD T0 DANIEL C. BEARD.

WIRE-FORMING MACHINE.

Application filed February 9, 1915.

To all 'LU/wm t may concern.'

Be it known that I, CHARLES F. BAXTER, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Wire-Forming Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a machine for forming and joining the links of a pinless clothes line and the like and the object thereof is to provide a machine of that character which will be easy in operation, simple in construction and in which the cost is reduced to a minimum.

A further object is to provide a machine of that character which can be operated either manually or by power such as an electric motor or the like.

I accomplish these and other objects by the mechanism described herein and illustrated in the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my complete machine. Fig. 2 is a top plan of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a section on the l.line 3-3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 shows a top and side view of the product of my machine.

vMy machine comprises a base 5 to each end of which are secured upwardly extending standards 6 and 7. A cross bar 8 connects these standards near their lower ends. Standards 6 and 7 have provided in their opposed edges guideways 9 in which is slidably mounted a `forming plate 10 which plate slides vertically. Secured to the outer edge of the upper end of standard 7 to extend outwardly therefrom is a guide member 11 in which is formed a guideway 12 for the reception of a sliding centering block 13 which block slides transversely and is supported vertically by a plate 14 secured at one end thereto by -screws 15. The other end of plate 14 is mounted loosely on screws 15EL secured in the end of guide member 11 and between the heads of screws 15a and plate 14 'are mounted coil springs 16 to normally hold member 13 within the guideway 12. A. stop plate 17 connects the tops of standards 6 and 7 and is secured thereto by bolts 18 or other suitable means and serves to retain former-plate 10 within the guideway. The inner side of stop plate 17 is cut away at the upper portion thereof to form a recess 19 and extending upwardly Specicaton of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 29, 1916.

Serial No. 7,203.

from the bottom edge thereof are lugs 20 and 21 which support the wire while it is being formed into shape. Forming plate l0 has a portion of the center of its upper edge cut away as shown at 22 and in one side of this recess is mounted a bending anvil 23 around which the wire is bent. Near the top of the end of plate 10 adjacent to standard 7 is secured a bending cam 24 which draws the wire downwardly when plate 10 descends. A bearing plate 25l is secured to standards 6 and 7 near their lower ends on the side opposite to cross bar 8. An operating shaft 26 has one end revolubly mounted in bar 8 and the other end extends through plate 25 and terminates in an operating crank 27, a portion only of which is shown in Fig. 3. An operating gear or pinion 28 is rigidly secured upon shaft 26 between bar 8 and plate 25 and meshes with the teeth 29 in the lower edge of a cam bar 30. Bar 30 normally rests upon gear 28 and is supported against transverse movement by plate 17 and block 31 which last block is removably secured to bearing plate 25 by screws 32. Extending upwardly from bar 30 about centrally of the upper edge thereof is an arm 33 to the inner side of the upper end of which is revolubly secured a forming wheel or roller 34 which roller bends the wire around anvil 23. A rack bar 35 having gear teeth 36 on its inner side is secured at onel end to the outer side of arm 33 just above bar 30 and a portion 37 of its free end is tapered to form a cam for operating the centering block 13. Revolubly mounted centrally in block 13 is a vertically extending eyelet-bending member 38 the lower portion of which has gear teeth 39 cut therein which teeth are adapted to be engaged by the teeth 36 of the rack bar 35 when the machine is operated. A groove or recess 13EL extends across the front face ofv block 13 and beneath platel 14, into which recess the teeth 39of member 38 project. Member 38 has a rod or anvil 40 extending upwardly from the center thereof around which rod the wire is bent to form the eyelets. A bending rod 41 is secured in rod 42 will rise or descend. Lifting rod 42 is provided to lift the eyelets o' rod 40.

In the operation of my machine a piece of wire of the desired length is placed with one end resting upon block 13 and its other end resting upon roller 34. The handle 27 is then turned to rotate gear 28 in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 1. This causes the end of bar 30 to engage the top of roller 45 secured to the side of former-plate 10 and draw plate 10 downwardly causing cam 24 and anvil 23 to engage the wire and draw the portions engaged down past lugs 20 and 21. At the same time roller 34 will be moving forwardly and bending the free end of the wire upward around the rear end of anvil 23. At this time plate 10 will have completed its downward movement and will be retained in that position by bar 35, roller 34 will continue its forward movement and bend the free end of the wire downwardly around anvil 23 upon itself and into register with the other 'end of the wire and will then act to retain the wire in this position. At this time the reduced end of bar 35 will enter the recess 13gt in block 13 beneath the plate 14 and portion 37 will engage plate 14 and force said block 13 outwardly to bring the center of rod 40 into a plane passing through the longitudinal center of the wire and at theV same time bringing the teeth 39 of member 33 into position for engagement with the teeth 36 of bar 35. It will be seen that standard 7 is shorter than standard 6 and that the body of the wire will be held against sidewise movement by plate 17 and as rod 40 moves outwardly with block 13 the free ends of the wire will be bent outwardlyto center theeyelets. Upon a further forward movement of bar 35 member 38 will be rotated and rod 41 will bend the ends ofthe wire around rod 40 to form the eyelets. As plate 10 descends plate 43 will also descend together with rod 42. After the wire is bent into the desired coniiguration the direction of movement of the parts is reversed and as pin 44 on gear 28 raises plate 10, plate 43 will force rod 42 upwardly and force the formed eyelets off rod 40 when the machine is again ready for use. It will be understood that the machine will be stopped and the eyelets of a previously formed link will be threaded upon the one being formed before itis bent around anvil 23. l/Vhile I have shown my machine designed to form links of a pinless clothes line, it will be understood that I do not limit myself to such use.

Having described my invention what I claim is:

1. A wire bending machine comprising a base member; a pair of standards secured thereto; a work support mounted on said standards provided with a f longitudinally extending recess; a pair of spaced supporting lugs secured to said work support withl in said recess; a forming member slidablyV of the supporting lugs adapted to bend a portion of the wire downwardly; a centeringblock mounted in the outer edge of one of said standards to slide transversely thereof; a toothed eyelet-bending member revolubly mounted in said centering block centrally thereof; a stud extending upwardly from said last bending member Vcentrally thereof; another stud mounted in the eyeletbending member adapted to engage the free ends of the wire and bend the same around said lirst-mentioned stud to formv eyelets when the machine is operated; a toothed cam bar slidably mounted in said standards to slide horizontally adapted to engage the roller of the forming member to draw the same downwardly; an arm extending upwardly from said cam bar centrally of theV upper edge thereof; a bending roller mounted upon the inner side of said arm at the top thereof in alinement with the lugs of the work support and forming member adapted to bend the inner portion of the wire around the rear end of the inner lug of the forming member' to form a loop therein and to bring the free ends of the wire into register; a shaft revolubly mounted in bearings secured to said standards; a gear secured to said shaft in engagement with said cam-bar; a rack-bar secured at one end to the upwardly extending arm of the cam bar adapted to operate the centering block and to rotate the eyelet-bending member; means operated by the forming plate onits upward movement to eject the eyelets from the stud; and means to operate said shaft.

2. A wire bending machine comprising a ybase member; a pair of oppositely disposed standards-secured thereto; a work support mounted at the upper ends of said standards provided with a longitudinally extending recess therein; a pair of spaced worksupporting lugs secured to said support within the recess; a forming member slidably mounted at its ends in said standards to slide vertically; a pair of bending lugs secured to said forming member to extend within the recess of the work support at opposite sides of the lugs therein adapted to bend predetermined portions of the wire downwardly to form loops; a centering block mounted in the upper portion of onel of said standards to slide transversely thereof; an eyelet-bending member revolubly mounted in said centering block; means to oscillate said forming member; means connected to said oscillating means to bend said wire upon itself whereby the free ends thereof are brought into register to engage the eyelet bending member; and means operated bv said last means to operate the eyelet bending means.

3. A wire bending machine comprising a base member; a pair of standards extending upwardly therefrom; a work support secured to the top of said standards provided with vertically extending recesses therein; a forming member mounted at its ends in said standards to slide vertically; a pair of bending lugs secured to said forming member to extend within the recesses in the supporting member adapted to bend portions of the wire downwardly to form loops; an

eye1et-bending member revolubly mounted upon the top of one of said standards; means to operate said forming member; means connected to said last means to bend the wire upon itself around the innermost one of said bending lugs whereby the free ends of said wire are brought into register and into position for engagement with said eyelet bending means; and means operated by said last means to operate the eyelet bending means.

In witness that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my name this 25th day of January, 1915.

CHARLES F. BAXTER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ive cents each, by addressing' the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, ID. C. 

